Ice cube tray

ABSTRACT

The claimed ice cube tray consists of a an ice cube container (1) with a removable cover (3) joined by multiple joining means in the most robust sections of both structures, wherein the cover (3) comprises a plurality of sections that serve as flexible openings and/or slits (4) through which the ice cubes can be taken out one by one through the cover (3) in that the bottom of the flexible storage compartments (2) are simply pushed, without the need to remove the cover (3) when the cover is closed. This makes it easier for the user to take out the ice cubes without removing the cover, thus enabling the ice cubes to be taken out in a single step.

CROSS- REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present continuation-in-part patent application claims prioritybenefit under 35 U.S.C. 120 and 365(c) of the PCT international patentapplication designating the United States serial numberPCT/PE2017/000028 filed on 22 Nov. 2017, entitled “Ice Cube Tray”. Thisapplication further claims benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)to Peruvian patent application serial number 002526-2016/DIN filed on 24Nov. 2016. The contents of these related patent application(s) areincorporated herein by reference for all purposes to the extent thatsuch subject matter is not inconsistent herewith or limiting hereof.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF SEQUENCE LISTING PROVIDED AS ATEXT FILE

Not applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER LISTING APPENDIX

Not applicable.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection by the author thereof. Thecopyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyoneof the patent document or patent disclosure for the purposes ofreferencing as patent prior art, as it appears in the Patent andTrademark Office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves allcopyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a modern ice cube tray with lid thatallows the extraction one by one of the pieces of ice without having toremove or move the lid, ideal for use in the home or restaurants andwhich is related with containers that allow making, storing anddispensing ice cubes more safely.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Although the antecedents of this invention constitute the ice trays withlid, it is considered that the closest antecedent is the patent U.S.Pat. No. 6,196,518 which is an ice cube tray with lid that has beencreated in order to allow the removal of one by one of the ice cubes,where the ejection of the ice cubes as well as any ice cube that has alid is done in three steps, at first the cover is removed or slid inorder to generate free spaces so that the ice cubes can be removed, in asecond moment the user must remove the ice cubes and in a third momentthe lid must be closed again. However, despite the fact that thisinvention allows the extraction one by one of the ice cubes, this deviceis difficult to manipulate and understand, since many steps have to betaken (three steps in total) to extract the ice cubes, this withoutcounting on the fact that while the lid is opening for one of its sidesto generate free spaces that allow the exit of pieces of ice, theinvention is acquiring larger dimensions, which is impractical anddifficult to use at time to remove the ice cubes. It is for thesereasons that this invention (which consists of an ice cube tray assemblyand a sliding lid) is not the most suitable invention to solve theproblem that it tries to solve, consisting of a safe extraction of theice cubes, by What is needed is an ice cube tray with a lid, alsooffering the possibility of removing one by one the ice cubes in asimpler way and without having to remove the lid (in a single step), inorder to that the user can remove the ice cubes from the ice tray withlid in a simple and instinctive way and without having to resort to usermanuals.

It is for this reason that an ice cube tray with lid has been created,which can be fitted on the ice tray of multiple shapes, and where thelid can even slide for its longer sides, but where the difference withrelation to its predecessors is that the removable cover ischaracterized by presenting windows and/or flexible slits that willserve as flexible windows that can be opened and extended to the outsideof the lid to allow the exit of the ice cubes when they are pushed outfrom the flexible section containing them and where these flexiblewindows of the lid are located just on top of each of the sectionscontaining the ice cubes when the lid is in its closed position,improvements made so that the user can remove the pieces of ice one byone with total simplicity and comfort just by pushing the flexiblestorage compartment of the ice tray, so that the ice cubes exit in acontrolled way through the flexible windows located in the lid, andwhere these special windows are made of a very flexible material or avery elastic rubber that is shrinkable so that they return to theiroriginal position to keep the surface of the lid flat, all of whichrepresents an improvement to the state of the art since the ejection ofthe ice cubes will be carried out in a simple and instinctive way,offering advantages that the ice trays with lid did not have before,which is aimed at a simpler use and the ejection of the pieces of ice ina single step when the ice cube trays come with a lid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to overcome the deficiencies explained, the present ice cubetray has been realized, which has a plurality of flexible compartmentswhere the pieces of ice are molded, where said flexible compartmentshave cube shapes or other shapes that allow the easy removal of thepieces of ice through the flexible windows of the lid, such as havingsemicircular contours or having smaller forms in its lower part so thatthe pieces of ice do not have very rigid shapes that make it difficultto remove them through the windows or flexible slits of the lid,likewise, the ice cube tray will preferably be rectangular in shape,without being limited to other types of shapes, such as square orcircular, which will always have a removable lid, which optionally canbe slid in case the body of the tray have rectangular or square shape,and where the union and adjustment of the ice tray with the lid will bedone in multiple ways but especially by the harder sections of bothstructures, so that each time the user has to press for remove thepieces of ice by the lid of the ice tray, the ice cube tray and the liddo not separate,

The union of the lid with the ice tray can be by a system of rails sothat the lid is slidable, this union could also be by pressure, or byhooking (by having the lid on its four external sides flexible clamps) ,or even by hinges, likewise the lid can also have a box shape with entryand/or exit sections that completely cover the ice tray. The cover has aplurality of windows of a softer and flexible material, which correspondin number and position with the pieces of ice, where these windows ofexit of the cover preferably must be of a very flexible plastic materialor of a very elastic rubber, the flexible windows of the lid may alsohave a similar hardness than the rest of the tray, especially when thewindows of the lid have small hinges, also these small windows of thecover can also have a system of springs that allow the windows to beplaced in vertical position with the simple push of their internal facesby the ice cubes when they are pressed for their exit, which will allowa simpler removal of the ice cubes when the window is in verticalposition, also the lid of the tray may also have a small lid for waterentry, so that the device can be used without it being necessary to openthe ice cube tray lid. All of which supposes an improvement in the stateof the art since it incorporates advantages to the trays to mold icethat has a lid that was not known before.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a better understanding of what is expressed in this specification,drawings that represent multiple preferred embodiments are attachedbelow.

FIG. 1: A perspective view of the invention is shown, where it ispossible to observe that the user is pushing the flexible compartment ofthe ice cube tray and the ice cube is passing through the flexiblewindows of the lid.

FIG. 2: A perspective view of an embodiment of the invention is shown,where it is possible to observe that the cover has been opened bysliding.

FIG. 3: A perspective view of an embodiment of the invention is shown,where the lid is observed closed by clamps

FIG. 4: A perspective view of an embodiment of the invention is shown,where it is observed that the lid has hinges.

FIG. 5: A perspective view of an embodiment of the invention is shown,where the lid is shown in the shape of a box.

FIG. 6: A side view of the invention is shown where the ice cube is seencoming out through the windows and/or flexible slit.

FIG. 7: A side view of the invention is shown where it is observed thatthe lid has been opened for one of its sides.

FIG. 8: A top view of the lid is shown, where you can see flexiblewindows or slits and where the cut that divides each window is by itslong sides.

FIG. 9: A top view of the lid is shown, where you can see flexiblewindows or slits and where the cut that divides each window is by itsshort sides.

FIG. 10: A top view of the lid is shown, where it is observed that eachflexible window has four leaves.

FIG. 11: An embodiment of the cover is shown, where it can be seen thatmost of the cover has the same color of the flexible windows as a signthat most of the cover is made of the same flexible material as itswindows.

FIGURA N° 12: A view of an embodiment of the lid, where it is observedthat the windows are single-leaf and have hinges.

FIG. 13: A perspective view of the invention is shown, where it isobserved that the cover has single-leaf windows, of which one is open.

FIG. 14: A perspective view of the invention is shown, where the lid ofthe ice cube tray has a small lid for water entry.

The numerical references of the figures correspond to the followingconstructive elements of the invention.

1. Ice cube tray.

2. Flexible compartments.

3. Cover.

4. Windows and/or flexible slits.

5. Piece of ice.

6. Clamps.

7. Hinge of the lid.

8. Window hinge.

9. Small lid.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of this novel ice cube tray (1) based on theaforementioned, is constituted in a preferably rectangular structurethat has a plurality of flexible compartments (2), where this ice cubetray has a lid (3), which when completely closed allows the pieces ofice (5) to come out through the windows and/or flexible slits (4) of thelid (3) easily by simply pressing on the base of the flexiblecompartments (2). Not limiting the possibility of other types ofembodiment of the invention which have been described in the explanationof the figures and which must be extended to the combination of thefigures and which refer to the simple removal of the ice cubes throughwindows and/or flexible slits (4) located in the lid of the ice cubetrays (1).

What is claimed:
 1. ICE CUBE TRAY that has a plurality of flexiblecompartments (2) for the formation of pieces of ice (5) and a removablecover (3) that is mounted on the ice cube tray (1) for a multiple lacesystem, characterized in that the lid (3) has a plurality of windows orflexible slits (4) that allow the removal of the pieces of ice (5)through them and without removing the lid (3), where the number offlexible compartments or slits (2) of the ice cube tray (1) isproportional to the number of sections that serve as windows and/orflexible slits (4) and keep the same location when the lid (3) It isclosed.
 2. ICE CUBE TRAY according to claim 1, characterized in thateach of the sections serving as windows and/or flexible slits (4),comprises at least one sheet that serves as a window or a flexible slitthat is stretched or open to allow the ice pieces (5) to exit throughthe lid (3).
 3. ICE CUBE TRAY according to claim 1, characterized inthat the lid of the ice cube tray has a small lid (9) that allows waterto enter without having to open the lid (3).
 4. ICE CUBE TRAY accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the flexible compartments (2) forforming the pieces of ice (5) may have smaller, thin or pointed forms inits base or lower section that allow more ejection simple through thewindows and/or flexible slits (4) unlike if the ice cubes were onlysquare shape.